West Indies vs England 2019: 5 key takeaways from the ODI series

After an uplifting victory over England in the Test series, West Indies managed to score another major point by drawing the ODI series against a rampaging English team. Considered favourites for the World Cup, the visitors were expected to perform better in the ODIs.

But they failed to win this series as well. England have been on a streak of series victories but their juggernaut was halted by the Windies. The timing is bad for the hosts of the World Cup. Everything has been going right for them until now but this setback suggests that there are some areas which require fine-tuning.

West Indies, on the other hand, have again suggested that there is something akin to a resurgence in their cricket. Whether they can keep the momentum going remains to be seen. But they have shown that they are no pushovers and will be competing hard in the World Cup.

What the series would be remembered for is the unprecedented level of big hitting. The number of sixes hit was mind-boggling and the brutal assault by the batsmen was awe-inspiring even in this modern era of T20 cricket.

So, with this exciting and enthralling series coming to an end, let us recount the main takeaways. The things we learned are important in forming an estimate of these two teams' prospects for the big event later in the year.

Gayle is Back and How!

Chris Gayle showed that he is back to his best in ODIs

For the past few years, Chris Gayle has performed poorly for West Indies in ODIs and Tests. He seemed to lose his motivation when playing for them in these formats. It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to describe him as mainly a free-agent plying his trade in T20 leagues.

But having declared his intention to retire from ODIs after the World Cup, Gayle was ready to dive headlong into ODI cricket with full intent to make an impact. And he did that in some style. The first ODI itself saw a hundred – his first against a strong team in many years – but it was a strange innings. He took his time to get settled and then went berserk in the latter stages.

But he showed that it is not the only way he can do business. His second hundred of the series in the fourth ODI was a spectacular knock while his blitzkrieg in the final game confirmed his status as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the international circuit.

Gayle’s power and ability were never in doubt. He can still hit the biggest sixes and accelerate the scoring rate as fast as anyone. But what this series established was his commitment and dedication to go out with a bang in ODI cricket. With him returning to form in such a magnificent manner, West Indies have gained a major boost before the World Cup.

Issues with England’s Bowling

Mark Wood's performance has made him a leading prospect for England's pace attack in the World Cup

England have one of the most impressive batting line-ups in the world as far as the 50-over version of the game is concerned. It has been a key ingredient of their great success since the last World Cup.

The spin-bowling department has also done its job efficiently with Adil Rashid emerging as a very potent bowler in the shorter format.

But the one area where there remain some issues is pace bowling. This series brought this problem to the fore in a big way. The main problem is the absence of a bowler with an x-factor, somebody who has extreme pace or someone with a bagful of tricks.

Mark Wood was probably their best bowler in this series and he could provide the extra pace required. But who else could lead the way remains to be seen. Woakes has been a consistent performer but didn’t make as big an impact as was expected. Will he be able to hold back the best batsmen in the World Cup on flat pitches? We don’t know.

Liam Plunkett has height and has been a good performer for his team for an extended period of time. But he too was below par in this contest. Others like Tom Curran and David Willey are yet to convince the world of their talent.

There is now talk of getting Jofra Archer into the team. This is proof that the final make-up of the bowling line-up is not certain. England have very little time to remedy this issue.

Hetmyer Continues to Impress

Shimron Hetmyer's reputation grew even further

Shimron Hetmyer’s stocks have risen sharply in the wake of this tour of England. His display in the first innings of the first Test excited everyone. The hundred he scored in the second ODI was equally impressive and was further proof of his massive potential.

He now has four ODI hundreds in just 25 matches and in terms of style, hitting ability, timing, the 22-year-old is up there with the best young talents of the world. The only flaw that remains in his batting is the excessive impetuosity that he displays at times.

His dismissal in the fourth ODI was an instance of irresponsible batting. He got out at a crucial time while attempting a big shot and allowed England to get back into the match. If he can get over this aspect of his batting, the sky is the limit for this brilliant player.

There is another challenge coming his way in the near future. Hetmyer would soon be playing in the IPL and would have demands of a very different nature from his batting. He has to be careful in preserving the core of his game and not get carried away with the demands of T20 cricket.

Otherwise, he would be another West Indian to sacrifice his longer-format cricket for franchise cricket glory.

England’s struggle to cope with unusual batting challenges

England's batsmen have shown an inability to adjust to conditions at times

England have performed splendidly in ODIs since their humiliating ouster from the first round of the 2015 World Cup. The only glitch in their performance has been the seeming inability of the batting line-up to adapt to challenges which are different from the usual ones they are faced with.

In the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy, they failed to come to grips with a slower surface and lost to Pakistan.

It has to be remembered that the main reason for England’s poor performance in the 2015 World Cup was diagnosed to be the outdated, overly-cautious style of their batting. Hence, after the World Cup, the team adopted a highly aggressive approach and in a couple of years’ time, they were mounting new heights of success in ODIs.

But at times, they have failed to rein in their aggression and play according to the situation. This was again evident in the final ODI of this series. On a bouncy pitch where they needed to adjust their techniques to the conditions and, maybe, take some time to settle down, the batters kept trying to attack. This tactic backfired.

The presence of Joe Root in the team is precisely to provide some stability in such situations. His superior technique is supposed to help his team navigate through tough situations. However, the rest of the batting line-up is also required to show some more adaptability in tough situations.

With the quality of their line-up, England are almost certain to make it to the semi-finals of the World Cup. But in the knock-out matches, a slip-up like the one witnessed in Champions Trophy semi-final or in the last match against WI could be fatal. More flexibility is required from the batting line-up.

Thomas and Cottrell Shine

Sheldon Cottrell made a huge impact in the series

There were two five-wicket hauls in this series from West Indies bowlers. One from Sheldon Cottrell and the other from youngster Oshane Thomas. The former has been around for a long time and hadn’t done much to make a name for himself in international cricket till now.

His five-for in the penultimate ODI has re-established him in the team and has raised hopes of a better effort from him in the coming days. The fact that he is a left-armer works in his favour as all the other prominent names among West Indian pacers are right-arm bowlers. While he may not have as much pace as the others, his height and angle work in his favour.

Oshane Thomas also impressed everyone with his five-wicket haul in the last ODI. One among the many upcoming West Indian fast bowlers, this young man possesses more pace than others of this group. If he continues to mature as a fast bowler, West Indies will have genuine pace to trouble the batsmen alongside the skills of senior men like Holder and Roach.